Shifts in vulnerability landscapes: young women and internal migration in Vietnam

Christophe Z. Guilmoto, Myriam de Loenzien

Abstract

Spatial mobility in Vietnam represents a formidable potential for social mobility for prospective migrants, in spite of being fraught with unanticipated risks. In view of the specific vulnerability of young women, the social risks involved in migration are far greater than for the rest of the population. However, we only have very limited data on young migrant women and their migration patterns. The 2009 Census offers new ways of describing young women and their migration situation. Using individual and household characteristics, the first part of our analysis provides indirect vulnerability indicators pertaining to the social, economic, and demographic domains (position in the household, marital and reproductive status, education, employment, etc. The second part of our study explores the interplay between migration status and forms of vulnerability among young women. We also highlight the multidimensional aspects of women's vulnerability in Vietnam at different geographical scales.